


Love Letters

by Rachie_xx



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Fluff, Love Letters, M/M, Oblivious Richie Tozier, Rated T for Trashmouth, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 14:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21078539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachie_xx/pseuds/Rachie_xx
Summary: Richie had been receiving anonymous love letters in his locker and is determinded to find out who it is





	Love Letters

**Author's Note:**

> me: hey guess my hiatus is over im gonna update a lot now  
also me: doesnt do that

Everyday was the same for Richie during the school year. He would walk the beige linoleum floor of his middle school, his dirty black converse always squeaking against the shiny floor. As he walked, he’d touch each brown locker with the tips of his fingers, the material felt cold and hard to the touch. Richie Tozier was not someone who enjoyed schedules. He preferred to mix things up, this is why everyday of the school year had been such a drag. It wasn’t until this particular day that something new finally happened.  
He had trudged his way to his locker and made eye contact with Eddie Kasprak, seeing as their lockers were right next to each other. Eddie was digging through his own locker, notebook in hand. He noticed Richie and smiled nervously, a small line of worry making itself seen on his forehead. “Good morning, Richie!” He chimed.

Richie raised an eyebrow at his friend. They always spoke before class, it was one of the only habits of the day that Richie looked forward to. Though he wasn’t exactly sure why Eddie was looking so nervous. He appeared to be practically dripping with anxiety. “Good morning, good sir! How doth the morning be doing yee?” He threw out the dorkiest old English accent, earning an eye-roll in response.

“I’m fine. I’m just…I’m just cleaning out my…locker…” The way Eddie spoke was surely suspicious, but Richie couldn’t guess what he was so anxious about.  
Richie turned to face his own locker and opened it carelessly. He kept a broken pencil jammed in the lock to keep the locker from locking. This wasn’t really allowed by the school, seeing as any person could open a locker and take whatever they wanted. But, it was the opposite for Richie, the moment he swung his locker door open, a small white envelope fell onto the floor.

With a raised eyebrow, Richie picked it up and flipped it open. The handwriting was neat and clean, it was written in blue, fine point pen.

“I’ll tell you something, I think you’ll understand. When I say that something, I want to hold your hand.  
I want to hold your hand.  
I love your curly hair and your dorky glasses and your stupid smile. When you smile I want to kiss you, but you will never like me back. You make my heart beat so loudly and I never know what to say because I’m too embarrassed.”

“Holy SHIT, dude!” Richie shouted a bit too loud, causing people to stare slightly. He handed the letter to Eddie. “I got a love letter! Someone in Derry, Maine has got the hots for Trashmouth!” He was basically yelling at this point, but he didn’t care. Richie was far too awestruck to quiet down. The heavy beating of his heart filled his ears as he felt his cheeks get red. Who could have left it? How did they know the Beatles was one of his favorite bands? Did they know? Who could it be? All of the questions filled his head.

Eddie read over the letter quickly. “Who do you think wrote it?” He questioned out-loud. “…Did you like it?” He added. His face was also a bright red, he was shaking slightly.

Richie paused. Who could have written it? “I loved it.” He hummed before sending a wink towards Eddie. “The only thing that could make it better is if it was from my precious little Eddie.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. Richie had always had a soft spot for Eddie, he never knew why, but the moment he met him, Richie knew that he had fallen. When he read the letter, he could have sworn he heard Eddie’s voice reading off each word in his mind. Though Richie knew it was wishful thinking. He took a piece of tape from one of his homework assignments and taped the letter in his locker.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning Richie practically ran to his locker. He had shown up early to school out of excitement. His usual tiredness was wiped away by the pure adrenaline. Though he wasn’t exactly sure if there would be another letter, he decided to put a bit more effort into his appearance that day nonetheless, he brushed his hair and wore a light green Hawaiian shirt over his white T-shirt. He stole some of his dad’s cologne from the bathroom to tie everything together. The only times he dressed up like this was when he was going to see Eddie and wanted to impress him. Today was kind of like that in a way. 

Eddie was already sitting on the ground in front of his own locker, legs crossed and leaning over his notebook with a sharp focus. Knowing Eddie Kasprak it was probably a homework assignment. He wore a light grey sweater and orange shorts, his usually combed brunette hair was slightly messier than usual, resembling bedhead. The sounds of Richie’s approaching footsteps snapped him out of whatever state he was in, causing him to glance up with wide eyes, his bottom lip in between his teeth as he chewed anxiously.

Richie smiled down at him. “Good morning, Eddie Spagetti!” He smirked at the way Eddie’s face flushed as he glared back at his notebook. “Have you seen anyone this morning?” He pressed slightly. Eddie and him were always one of the first few kids to arrive at school in the morning. So surely there would be a chance that Eddie has been seeing who his secret admirer was. Though Richie had definitely hoped it was Eddie who was behind it.

“Don’t call me that!” Eddie snapped, as scheduled. “No, I’ve been the only one here as far as I know.” He hesitated. “Did you…uh, did you get another letter?” He mumbled, his expression was almost unreadable. The way he asked laced each word with an air of uncertainty. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly and his face was a light shade of pink.  
The way Eddie held himself almost made him seem…self-conscious. Richie wasn’t sure what to make of it. “I’m not sure, let me look.” He felt kinda nervous himself now. He brushed the feeling off the best he could and slowly opened his locker. Inside was another white envelope, leaning neatly against a disarray of books. The sight made Richie’s heart beat. With shaking hands, Richie tore the envelope open, earning a flinch from Eddie, though he didn’t pay it much mind.

“If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me.  
Time after Time.  
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting.  
Time after time.  
I love the way you make me laugh, you make me blush and I just want to be yours. I love the way you’re always there for me, you tease me constantly and it makes me smile, though I pretend to hate it.”

Richie wasn’t aware he was smiling. This time they used the lyrics from Cyndi Laupers song, ‘Time After Time’. He didn’t know anyone who listened to such mainstream music. But, he thought it was adorable. It reminded him of something Eddie would listen to. He reread the letter. “Someone I tease constantly...” He mumbled out loud. That didn’t narrow it down. “That doesn’t say much…Hm...Why do they always put it in an envelope?” He turned his question more at Eddie than anywhere else.

“Maybe they saw how disgusting your locker was and knew you’d never find it if it looked as gross as the rest of your locker.” Eddie stuck his tongue out as he opened his own locker. He placed his notebook inside and gave Richie a sideways glance. “Say, Richie…Can I ask you something?” 

Richie nodded his head as he stole a piece of tape from Eddie’s now opened locker. “Yeah sure.” He absentmindedly answered as he taped his beloved letter next to the other. He felt a small sense of pride in his chest upon seeing them side by side.

“Would you…What if…” Eddie took a deep breath. “Do you WANT to know who’s leaving these letters for you? I mean, it’s not like I know or anything. But, I was wondering…would you be disappointed if you knew who it was?” He spoke extremely quickly and avoided eye contact. 

This made Richie stop and think for a moment. Would he be disappointed? Naturally that would depend on who he WANTED his secret admirer to be. Sure it would be nice, but what if it was someone he didn’t like? Who was he expecting? “I, uh, I don’t know actually.” He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. “Maybe it’s your mother? She probably wanted to come back for seconds with the one and only Trashmouth.~” He cooed before sending a wink to Eddie.

It bothered him the rest of the day though. All the way until 5th period study hall. Luckily he had none other than Stan the Man to keep him company. Their study hall period was led by an older man who didn’t really care what the students did as long as they were quiet. He was an old balding man with black hair and too many forehead wrinkles to count. Richie was pretty sure his name was Mr. Morris, but he couldn’t remember, he always made up incredulous nicknames for the man. Though his grades were always very high, so Richie never got yelled at.

He sat in the back corner of the classroom near a window that gave a perfect view of the beige hallways. The hallways were always empty during this time of the day, as everyone was in class. Granted a few class skippers or bathroom goers would pass by. Richie never paid them much mind. Today he had bigger worries. Stanley Uris sat in the desk next to him. Stan was a smart kid, but his grades were average, all hovering around the mid-B to low-A level. It wasn’t perfection but it worked out in his favor anyway. He rarely got behind with his grades.

“So, I’m having a bit of a dilemma, and no it doesn’t have anything to do with Eddie’s mom…maybe…” Richie muttered the last part quietly, suspicion rising in his voice. “I’ve been getting anonymous love letters from…someone…” He continued on, he then paused to hear Stan’s reaction.

He gave a small nod. “Okay? Go on…” He encouraged, curiosity peaked in his voice. “Do you know who it could be?”

Richie flinched. “Well, thats the thing…I don’t know.” He then held his face in his hands and stared at the desk gloomily. “But, I don’t know if I do want to know…I was talking to Eddie and he asked me if I’d be disappointed if I knew who it was. He asked who I thought it was. What if I get my hopes up and I just end up hurt, or even worse, hurting someone else…”

Stan was always a good listener. He never interrupted and he would nod along with the story to prove he was listening. This was why Richie always confided his personal issues into his friend. Though Stan was a quiet kid, he always had a lot on his mind.  
“Well,” Stan began thoughtfully, “Do you want advice or just to rant?” He always offered both, just in case his friends needed to just let their feelings out, or if they needed help in a situation.

After thinking to himself for a moment, Richie fiddled with a piece of tape that had been stuck on his desk. “I think…I need advice. I don’t know what to do.” He scraped at the tape with his fingernail.

Stan hummed to himself for a second. “Well, If I were you I would picture who you wanted it to be. When you read the letters, who do you picture writing them? Then you should find that person and talk to them. Lay your cards out on the table and explain how you feel.” He gave an encouraging smile to his friend. 

“Well, that’s another thing. Who would have feelings for me? I’m loud and I make horrible jokes and I tease my friends. Literally, all I do is make your mom jokes, and my inner demons are brutal! Not to mention-“

“Beep beep, Richie.” Stan interrupted. “You’re too hard on yourself. Who do you know who likes that stuff?”

Richie Thought to himself for a minute. “I doubt theres a single person on this godforsaken earth who finds mom jokes attractive.”

Stan rolled his eyes. “Okay, just because you don’t find yourself attractive…doesn’t mean you’re not. It just means you aren’t your own type.” He made eye contact and smiled teasingly. “I know someone who loves your mom jokes.” 

“Who? Eddie?” Richie almost shrieked, earning him a couple stares from his classmates. He didn’t care. “He couldn’t be the writer…He’s helping me find him! Since Eddie is the only one at School when they put letters in my locker, he’s my lookout.” His heart began to beat at the thought of Eddie leaving him love letters. The Thought alone made his palms sweaty and his stomach fluttery. Though, whenever he got a letter he always read it out in Eddie’s voice.

That couldn’t mean anything, could it?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, Eddie didn’t come to school. Richie assumed that Eddie’s mother came up with another fake illness as an excuse to keep him home that day. The thought of that alone sent a wave of anger and worry through him. Richie hated the way Eddie’s mom fawned over him like a newborn sheep or something. He knew Eddie was stronger than anyone gave him credit for. He was not made out of glass, like the world seemed to believe. 

Not only did Eddie not show up, but there was no clean white letter in his locker. When he opened the dented metal locker door, he discovered only the all too familiar sight of his messy locker, paperclips, crumpled pieces of paper, vandalized books, and a couple broken pencils graced his presence. He was slightly disappointed, but he felt more strongly to the idea that his friend was gone for the day.

The rest of the day dragged on slowly. Almost every spare moment was spent staring at the none moving clocks on the walls. Every class period he spent with Eddie was empty and had no warmth. This wasn’t the first time Richie had gone a day without his best friend, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. The bell had finally rang, signaling him to gather his things and walk to fifth period. On the bright side, he had study hall with Stan before it was time for lunch. 

As Richie practically threw his notebook and pens into his book bag, he noticed he was missing a math assignment. He could have sworn he had taken it in his bag. If it wasn’t in his messy backpack, then there was a fairly good chance that he had left it in his locker. No biggie, he’d just swing by on his way to study hall.

Slugging his backpack over his shoulders, Richie began to speedwalk to his locker. The assignment was on advanced mathematics, he understood the material but he still struggled with the small stuff, such as swapping signs and such. It wasn’t a big deal, he’d go over the worksheet during study hall and maybe take a quick nap. Richie was a few feet in front of his locker when he froze in his tracks.  
His locker was already open, and he could make out a small figure with fluffy brown hair sealing a pure white envelope before leaning it against his books with utmost care. 

It was Eddie Kasprak. He wore his sunshine yellow sweater and matched it with a pair of light grey shorts, he also wore pure white converse, they were no doubt new and contrasted with Richie’s perfectly. He wore a black backpack, signifying he had just arrived at school.  
Richie had no idea how to respond. He heard the bell ring overhead, but it sounded like he was underwater. Eddie closed Richie’s locker and opened his own and began to take his backpack off. Richie took the opportunity to walk over. How was he supposed to act? 

“Hey.” He tried to keep his voice mellow. ‘I saw you, my best friend who I may or may not have feelings for put a love letter in my locker. But like, whats good? Hows your day?’ He Thought, but had not even an ounce of bravery. Richie was more so focused on not spilling his guts over the already disgusting school floor.

Eddie automatically looked down, face flushing a deep scarlet. “Uh, hey…What’re you doing here? Don’t you have class?” He was taking his books out of his bag and neatly stacking them in his locker.

“I’d say the same about you, ha ha…” God he was awkward. Richie coughed into his fist. “I had to grab an assignment, I totally forgot…it.” Before Eddie had a chance to reply, Richie opened the locker and his eyes met with the letter. What was he supposed to do? “O-Oh! I didn’t see this here this morning. That’s weird.” He played stupid and took the envelope in his hands before placing it into his bag.

“Maybe your dumbass didn’t see it.” Eddie replied cooly. He closed his locker and started to walk away. “I’ll see you around…”

___________________  
Richie didn’t even touch the envelope until he was back in his seat during 5th period. He hadn’t missed anything, but the teacher did count him tardy. If it had been any other kind of day then Richie could have busted out a clever excuse and a funny joke, but he was off his game. He stared at the letter and repeatedly turned it about in his hands. He felt more nervous now that he knew exactly who was writing the letters. 

“Is that one of your love notes?” Stan asked curiously, he was tapping his pencil gently against the desk as he stared at Richie. “Did you find out who did it?” Though it was a question, the way he said it left a gleam of something Richie couldn’t pick up on.

“No! Yes! Yes!” He panicked, dropping the envelope completely. His hands were shaking and he hadn’t even opened it.

Stan tilted his head to the side inquisitively. “How do you feel about it?” The way he spoke almost had Richie convinced that he knew who it was too. But he brushed the feeling off. Richie didn’t say a word, he just stared at the letter.

“Hey, listen to me. Look at me.” Stan spoke reassuringly. When Richie looked into his eyes he continued. “He put a lot of effort into those letters. You should read it. I’m not gonna tell you how to feel or what to do. Just do what you feel is right.” 

After taking a deep breath, Richie carefully tore open the envelope and began to read.

“I look at you and my heart grows warm. I feel as if I’m burning up, but I worry that I’m crazy. You could never love me back, but thats okay. You are my sunshine, you keep me warm. On days you are there I bask in your light and I feel your glow on me. Though on days you aren’t there I find comfort in knowing that while you aren’t there with me all the time, I will see you again and you are out there. This is my last letter.” 

A tear threatened to fall and he didn’t know why. He felt loved. Eddie was pouring his heart out to him. The boy Richie loved and had prayed up and down was sending him these letters actually felt the same way. Richie had no idea why he was so scared. It had melted away and now all he felt was happiness.  
He looked back up at Stan, who was smiling back at him. 

“So? What’re you going to do?” Stan asked innocently. “Are you going to talk to him?”

Richie remained silent.

______________________________________________________________

Eddie was in a grumpy mood. His mother had insisted that he missed school that day. She was rambling about some virus going around, though he surely hadn’t seen or heard anything of the sort. It led to an argument and she ended up winning when she bribed him with going shopping. He decided that would be funner than doing homework anyway. Though a part of him was disappointed when he couldn’t deliver his love letter to Richie.

He began writing when he had no idea how to express himself. Eddie hadn’t had a crush on anyone other on Richie, he wasn’t sure how that even happened. The way the taller would make him laugh and go out of his way to only tease Eddie was more than enough to make his heart skip a beat. It was stupid, but it really did help. This way he could tell the boy he liked everything he wanted to without him knowing he liked him.  
However he really almost slipped up when Richie showed up a mere second after Eddie set the love letter in his locker. It was a close call, if he had arrived a minute earlier, Eddie would have been caught. 

After his 5th period History class, Eddie returned to his locker to prepare for lunch when a crumpled piece of paper caught his attention. It was crudely folded into fourths. It stood out harshly against the tidy folders and notebooks of his locker. Cautiously, he took the paper out and scanned each line quickly.

“Eddie,  
If I am your sun, then you are my moon. In a sea of darkness, your brightness outshines everything and everyone around you. You illuminate the world around us and I look forward to seeing your full beauty whenever I can. - Trashmouth.”

Confusion was the only word Eddie could describe how he felt. How did Richie know it was him? More importantly, he didn’t hate him? Perhaps it was a joke? Just in case, Eddie reread the letter once again, then twice, and a third time to be sure.

When Eddie looked up, he realized he was face to face with Richie Tozier. “Wh-Wh…” He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and tilted his head. “Did you do this, Richie?” 

“You can bet your mom’s sweet white ass I did.” He said smugly.

“Ugh, beep beep Richie.” Nervously he folded the letter in half, “Is this a pity letter?”

Suddenly, Richie looked taken aback. “What? No! I actually like you, Eds.”

“Don’t call me that!” He crossed his arms and huffed. “I don’t want you to make fun of me! I really put a lot of work into those letters and the fact you can make fun of me so easily…” Eddie felt his eyes getting watery as he ranted. “It’s mean. I didn’t want to get my hopes up because I knew you wouldn’t like m-“ 

Richie had closed the gap between them, closing his eyes he pressed closer. He had no idea how to prove to Eddie that he actually cared than to kiss him. So When Eddie began to kiss him back, Richie felt his pride in his chest. He ran his fingers through the other’s brunette hair and felt a shiver go up his back as Eddie stroked his arm gently.  
The kiss ended with Eddie pulling away for air.

“You really do like me.” Eddie gasped, his tears now gone without a trace.

“Of course I do. Why else would I have Stan help me write a cheesy love poem?” He pretended to pout. It wasn’t until he saw Eddie’s face go pale that he stopped. “Uh, Eds? You good?” He asked cautiously.

“Don’t call me Eds!” He looked at his feet. “You had Stan help you write a poem?” He mumbled nervously.

“Uh, yeah, why?” Richie felt nervous too now.

“He was the one who helped me write those letters...”

**Author's Note:**

> ive considered writing a 10 reasons why i hate you AU


End file.
